Cal Garrett

Cal Garrett is a Research Assistant for Equitable Infrastructure and has conducted a study of water infrastructure financing approaches across all 50 states. Cal’s findings will support MPC’s advocacy to ensure the equitable distribution of funds for upgrading drinking water infrastructure, including lead service lines, in Illinois.

Cal is also a PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology at University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) where they study how the culture of science and expertise can be exclusionary, contributing to inequalities in health and illness. Their work ranges from collaborative interview projects on the policy response to COVID-19 in Chicago to a multi-sited study of how various communities do (or do not) derive health benefits from nature preserves. Cal earned their MA in Sociology with a certificate in Gender and Women Studies from UIC in 2019. Their work has been published in several academic journals and open access sources, linked to their professional website.

Cal also has a BA in Sociology and Gender and Women Studies from Seattle University and is originally from the Pacific NW. Currently, they live in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago and volunteer to maintain sand dunes along Lake Michigan when they’re not writing. Learn more about Cal here and here.